EV Charging Station Boosts College’s Sustainability Profile

Station is part of a statewide network of publicly-available charging stations that drivers can locate through an app.

September 25, 2019

Marlboro College is pleased to announce the installation of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station to the admissions parking lot, a boon to students, faculty, staff, and visitors with electric or hybrid vehicles. This forward-thinking addition to campus is thanks to a Vermont State grant awarded earlier this year, as well as funds from an anonymous private donor that were dedicated to environmental stewardship and sustainability.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to offer an EV charging station on campus, and to be part of a growing statewide network promoting the use of renewable resources,” said Kevin Quigley, president of Marlboro College. “Encouraging the use of electric and hybrid vehicles will help the college community reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.”

Marlboro College was one of nine locations in Vermont that received awards from a $400,000 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Grant Program earlier this year. The grant money is derived from funds awarded to Vermont in the Volkswagen mitigation settlement, after the company violated the Clean Air Act.

The grant application was an example of the college’s shared governance in action, with the Environmental Quality Committee members Amber Hunt and Matt Ollis working with Todd Smith, chemistry professor, as well as Hillary Twining, director of corporate and foundation relations. Other recent efforts by Marlboro to reduce its carbon footprint include partnering in Vermont’s largest net metering solar project, located at the closed county landfill, and a solar-powered greenhouse on campus.

“Environmental sustainability is something Marlboro College takes very seriously, from making dorms energy-efficient to composting our food waste,” said Smith, who served in the role of sustainability project manager last academic year. “The EV charging station is a very visible way of staking this claim, and encouraging the use of electric vehicles.”

Over the next several years, the EVSE program will deliver a total of $2.4 million to Vermont communities to fund EV charging stations in key areas like Marlboro. The new EV charging station will be part of a statewide network of publicly-available charging stations that drivers can locate through an app. The EVSE Grant Program is a partnership between the Vermont Agency of Transportation, and the departments of Environmental Conservation, Housing and Community Development, Health, and Public Service.

Biology professor Jenny Ramstetter charges up at the new EV charging station on campus.